


Let Them Fight

by emmyak96



Category: Godzilla (2014), Godzilla (2014) RPF, Godzilla - All Media Types
Genre: Character Death, Destruction, Eventual Romance, F/M, Godzilla AU, Language, Mayhem, Military, Muto - Freeform, Violence, creature violence, movie-verse, multi-chapter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-20
Updated: 2015-07-13
Packaged: 2018-04-05 00:58:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4159572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emmyak96/pseuds/emmyak96
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU where Elle and Sam Brody don't exist. Based entirely on the 2014 movie.</p>
<p>"This is our job. This is what we do." The words came out of your mouth, but you don't recall this being in the job description.</p>
<p>Giant monsters threaten humanity. So much for that relaxing night in.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Home and Gone Again

**Author's Note:**

> I would like to apologize in advance for any wrong translations I make to and from the Japanese language. I'll only be using Google Translate. I'll be putting the English translation in parentheses after any Japanese sentences. If you speak the language and notice that something I translated is wrong, don't hesitate to correct me!
> 
> Comments are always welcome and I appreciate any feedback!
> 
> I hope you enjoy! :)

"Mommy, look!" Luke was standing on a stool at the counter, a proud look on his face as he put the final decorations on the cake.

"That looks great, honey! Ford's going to love it." You placed a kiss on the top of his shaggy black hair. Both of you had been waiting for two months for Ford to come back from his tour. You met Ford 14 months ago while you were both on tour. You were in the same unit: Explosive Ordnance Disposal. While you had come home after 12 months due to medical reasons, Ford finished out the tour. The two of you became best friends shortly after meeting. He always said that he was glad he'd have someone to talk to once he's home. His father, Joe, was his only family left, but he was almost never in the country, though they exchange a few letters and phone calls, and most of his friends were in the navy as well, but lived in other states, so you were excited to learn that you both lived in San Francisco. He and his father had spent Christmas with you and Luke when you came home for a brief period. You was glad to see that Ford and Luke hit it off so well. Even thought Joe didn't say much, Luke took a liking to him too. Luke even had a countdown going in his room for today for Ford's return. He was so happy to pull off the last number.

"How much longer do we have to wait?" Luke's voice brought you out of your memories. You glanced at the clock, which read 4:53. Ford's flight should have gotten in at 4:00 and it was an hour drive from the airport to his apartment. He had told you where he kept the spare key so you decided to surprise him when he got back.

"Not much longer! Come on, let's set up the table." You picked up the cake and set it down on the table. The banner Luke had made was hanging in the middle of the living room. 'WELCOME HOME, FORD' was written in multiple colored letters, and there were doodles and stickers scattered around it. I did some last minute adjusting before he got home. At the sound of keys entering the lock, you moved to stand in front of the door.

"Okay, ready?" You whispered. Luke nodded eagerly. "Alright, one... two... three.." The door swung open and you both shouted "Welcome home, Ford!" in unison. Luke ran forward and hugged Ford's legs.

"Wha-? Hey, little man!" He reached down and ruffled Luke's hair. "What's all this, (Y/n)?"

"It's a welcome home party." You walked over and gave him a hug which he returned. "It's good to have you back."

"Thank you. It's good to be back. I missed you guys."

"We missed you too." You looked down at Luke who had a huge smile plastered on his face and laughed. "Luke may have missed you more though." Ford bent down and picked Luke up.

"I missed him more too." Ford laughed as you gave him a slight shove to the shoulder.

"How about you go change out of your uniform, and then we can celebrate, okay?" You say as you take Luke from him.

"Sounds good to me." He smiles and goes to the bedroom. You take Luke to the dining room to wait. A couple minutes later Ford walked into the room wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants as you were lighting the candles on the cake.

"Surprise!" Luke said as he pushed the cake towards Ford.

"Wow! This looks delicious." He said as he sat down.

"I made a sign too!" Luke was so excited.

"What's it say, honey?" You asked him.

Luke read off the banner, "Welcome home, Ford."

"Ford is home... Cake every night." He said as you all started eating. Luke smiled, his blue eyes wide.

"Yeah, I don't think so. " You said as you laughed. The three of you enjoyed cake and laughs.

After you finished eating, Luke grabbed his favorite board game, Candyland, and you all moved to the living room to play. The end of the game turned into a battle for the win between Ford and Luke. They were both one spot away from Candy Castle.

"Oh, I got you now, Luke!" Ford said as he drew a card. His look of triumph turned into a look of defeat. "Ah, no!"

"Back to Peppermint Forest for you." You giggled as you saw the card he drew. Ford moved his piece back to the near start of the board. "Alright, Luke, you got this!"

Luke pulled a card up and cheered. "I won!" He moved his piece onto the castle.

"Good job, little man." Ford put Luke on his lap and started tickling him. "But you'll never beat me at this!" Luke started laughing like crazy, which made you laugh. You looked at the clock and noticed it was already an hour past Luke's bedtime.

"Alright, sweetie, it's time to start heading home. It's already past your bedtime."

"But, mommy..." He protested.

"I know, I know. We'll come visit him again soon, alright?"

"Okay..." He went to gather to gather his things from the dining room.

"Hey, just stay the night." Ford said.

"You sure? I don't want to intrude."

"Yeah, it's fine. Just put him in my bed. When the time comes to sleep, you can join him. I'll just stay on the couch."

"Well, thank you, Ford. That's sweet of you." You said with a smile. Very conveniently, you had picked Luke up from his friends house so he had stuff to sleep over.

"It's the least I could after your surprise. Thank you again. I really appreciated it." He said sweetly, his blue eyes looking into yours.

"Oh, don't mention it." You said as Luke walked back in, his bag over his shoulder. "Change of plans, Luke. We're gonna stay here tonight. So get your PJ's on. I'll be there in a minute to tuck you in, okay?"

Luke's face lit up. "Okay!" Then he practically ran into Ford's room.

"Well, since we're about to get some peace and quiet, how about I get us some wine?" He suggested.

"Ford, you read my mind." You leaned back against the couch.

"I'll be right back then." He got up and disappeared into the kitchen. As he rummaged through the cabinet for glasses, the phone rang. "(Y/n), would you mind getting that? My hands are full."

"Yeah, no problem." You picked up the phone and hit 'talk.' "Brody residence."

"Hello, is Ford Brody there?" The voice on the other end said.

"He's a bit busy now. Can I take a message?" You listened intently as the voice told you what was going on. "Right. Could you just hold on a minute, sir?"

"Who is it?" Ford asked as he walked into the living room, two wine glasses in hand.

"Um, it's the consulate. Joe's been arrested in Japan."

Ford's face twisted in annoyance as he put the glasses down and took the phone. "This is Ford Brody. Uh-huh. Right, okay. I'll take a plane tonight, I'll be there in some hours. Thank you." He pressed 'end call.' "Well, I guess I'm going to Japan."

"What? You just got home." You said.

"I know. But I can't leave him locked up. The sooner I go and get him out, the sooner I can come back here. It'll just a couple days."

"I'll go with you then."

"(Y/n), I can't ask you to do that."

"You're not asking. I'm offering."

"What about Luke?" His eyes drifted to his bedroom.

"I can drop him off at my sister's. Please, Ford. Let me be there for you."

"I can't convince you otherwise, can I?" He sighed deeply as you shook your head. "Alright then. Thank you."

"Of course. I'll go get Luke so you can pack." You said walking into the bedroom. Luke was already under the covers waiting for you. "Okay, sweetie, another change of plans. Mommy and Ford have to go on a trip for a couple days so you're gonna stay with Auntie Nat, alright?"

"But I wanted to stay here." Luke pouted.

"I know. We'll sleep over another time. Go wait in the living room, please."

"Okay..." He got out of bed, dragging his stuffed dinosaur behind him. Once he was out, Ford walked in and began looking through his dresser. You took out your phone to call your sister, Natalie. She picked up on the third ring.

"Hey, sis!" Her voice was high and sweet.

"Hey, Nat. Look, I know it's late and really short notice, but could you watch after Luke for a couple days? Ford and I have to go to Japan and get Joe."

"Yeah, sure! I don't have any plans this weekend, so bring him on over." You were surprised she didn't even mention your reasoning for calling.

"Thank you so much! I'll be by in about an hour."

"Sounds good. See you then!" You hung up the phone and turned to Ford, who was filling a duffle bag with pants.

"So, what was Joe doing in a quarantine zone?" You asked.

"What do you think? Being a crusader for the truth with all his crackpot theories." Ford said as he went to the bathroom to get toiletries. He had told you all about what happened at the power plant when he was a kid. His father never believed that it was a reactor meltdown and spent all his time trying to figure out what really happened, which is why they rarely saw each other.

"I think your father just needs your help right now." You said, leaning against the wall. "I mean, he lost everything."

"So did I. But I got over it." He said as he shoved more things into the bag.

"Yeah, I see that."

He looked over at you and noticed the look of slight worry on your face. "I'm sorry, (Y/n). It's just... Every time I try to let him in close, he wants to drag me back into it and I just can't do that. I don't want to put you and Luke through it somehow either." He looked down to the floor.

"Hey, come here." You said as you walked over and pulled him into a hug. "It's just gonna be a few days. Then we can come back here and drink our wine."

Ford sighed deeply and hugged you tighter. "Thank you, (Y/n). You don't know how much I appreciate this."

"Of course." You pulled away from the hug. "You finish packing and I'll pull the car around front, okay?" Ford nodded and you went to the living room to get Luke. "Come on, honey. We're gonna go wait in the car." He jumped off the couch and took your hand as you headed down to the parking lot. Luke got in the back of the car and you drove to the front of the apartment building. You only sat there for about a minute before Ford came out of the building, put his stuff in the trunk and got in the car.

Natalie's house was about a half hour away. The car ride was mostly quiet except for Luke singing random songs in the back and telling Ford stories about how he and his friend, Riley, were dinosaur hunters yesterday. Ford listened politely, occasionally commenting and laughing. It made you happy to see him still care about Luke like that even when he had something so big dropped on him. The half hour passed and you were finally at Natalie's.

"Alright, we're here, honey." You said as you pulled into the driveway. "Come on, I'll walk you up." You turned to look at Ford. "I'll just be a minute." Luke got out of the car and ran to the front door, waiting for you. Once you stepped onto the porch, you knocked on the door. A few seconds later, Natalie opened it.

"Auntie Nat!" Luke said and reached up at her, indicating that he wanted to be picked up. Nat, of course, complied.

"Hey, Luke! Wow, you're getting big!" She looked over at you. "So, Japan?"

"Yeah. Looks like those college language classes are gonna come in handy." You joked.

Natalie laughed and put Luke down. "Go wait in the living room. Pick out a movie for us to watch." Luke nodded and ran inside. "So what about Ford?" She raised an eyebrow at you.

"What about him?" You were confused at the question.

"What's going on with you two?"

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, come on, (Y/n). He hasn't stopped looking at you since you came to the door. You can't tell me nothing is going on."

"What?" You turned around and noticed that Ford was indeed looking at you. He raised his hand in a slight wave to you and you turned back to Natalie.

"See? And now you're going to the other side of the world with him. You gotta do something about this soon."

"Oh, stop it. We're going to get his father. I'm not gonna make a move on him there."

"Fiiine. But don't wait too long. I'd hate to see you miss out on _that_."

"You're so ridiculous. But I have to go now. Thanks again. I owe you." You gave her a hug.

"You know it. Stay safe." You pulled away and walked to your car, waving good-bye to Luke, who was standing in the window. Ford was sitting patiently in the passengers seat, waving to Luke as well.

You started the car and backed out of the driveway. Making a pit stop at your house to pack a few things, you headed for the airport. Once inside, you waited less than an hour for the next plane to Japan. By one in the morning, the plane was loading. You did the whole security check point thing and got on the plane, which was nearly empty. The flight would take a good 12 hours. It was a pretty uneventful flight. You and Ford talked a lot, but for the most part, you both slept. Finally, at about 1:45 the plane landed in the Tokyo Airport. You and Ford gathered your luggage and left the airport, calling for a taxi. The ride to the police station took about an hour. The both of you were incredibly jet lagged. You couldn't wait to relax.

The police station wasn't too busy. A few people walking around, but it wasn't packed, thankfully. Ford went up to the counter while you grabbed seats for you two.

"Ford Brody for Joe Brody." You heard from behind. Ford signed a few papers and sat down next to you.

"Everything good?" You asked.

"Yeah, everything's clear. They just gotta go get him." He put his head in his hands and sighed, so you gently rubbed his back. You sat in silence for a few minutes before the sound of a buzzer and the click of a door caused Ford to sit up and turn his head. An officer came out, talking into his radio. You could hear Ford's breath catch in his throat as he waited for Joe. Unfortunately, Joe wasn't behind the officer. Instead there was what appeared to be a girl, about 18, dressed in all black with chains and mesh. Ford's shoulders sunk down at the sight.

"Papa." A woman's voice came from the chairs opposite you and drew your attention. A man and woman stood up and went over to the girl, speaking angrily in Japanese. You didn't speak a lot of the language, but you assumed it was something along the lines of "What were you thinking?" or something similar. Ford's eyes followed the family as they left the police station. Your head, though, was facing the window and you noticed Joe on the other side.

"Ford." You tapped his arm and he looked at the window as well. Joe noticed the two of you and gave a weak smile before he was moved out of sight. Ford looked down and took a deep breath. "Come on. It'll be alright." You both stood up as the door opened and Joe walked out. The tension between him and Ford was obvious. They didn't even exchange hugs. Joe's eyes caught yours and he gave you a small smile.

"Hello, (Y/n). It's good to see you." His voice was quiet.

"You too, Mr. Brody." You said politely.

"Joe. Call me Joe." He said as he looked down at the floor. You nodded in understanding. Ford grabbed your bags and spoke up.

"Come on, let's get you home."


	2. Welcome to Janjira

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taking Joe home could be a bit more complicated than you thought.

The ride to Joe's apartment was quiet. Ford wouldn't even look at Joe the whole ride. You noticed how tense Ford was so you gave his hand a squeeze and his shoulders relaxed. Joe's apartment was about a half hour from the police station. Once you finally got there, you grabbed your bags and went inside. The inside of his apartment threw you off a bit. It was covered wall-to-wall in old newspapers and documents and pictures. Books about seismic activity and radiation covered the shelves. Joe noticed you and Ford looking a little put off.

"I don't get many visitors." Joe said quietly. You gave him a soft smile to show it was okay.

"Clearly." Ford said. Joe looked a little hurt but moved his attention elsewhere.

"This is you here." He said, motioning to a mattress on the floor. "I didn't know (Y/n) would be coming as well..."

"Oh, it's okay, Joe. Don't worry about it." You chimed in. You and Ford put your bags on the mattress. You'd figure out the sleeping thing later.

"Even Ph.D.'s don't get much teaching English as a second language." Joe spoke as you and Ford were distracted by all of the articles. You noticed most of them involved the power plant. "Here we go. Towels. All right. So... how's the bomb business, you two? Must be a growth are these days."

"It's called 'explosive ordnance disposal.' Our job isn't dropping bombs. It's stopping them." Ford was still looking over all the papers while you stood off to the side, unsure of what to do. "Dad..."

"Hey!" Joe cut him off as he pointed at you and walked around the room. "How's Luke doing? He's gotta be like...what? Two and a half? Three?"

"He's, uh... turning five in a few months actually." You said. It didn't surprise you that Joe didn't actually know how old Luke was. You fiddled with the zipper on your jacket as Ford walked over to the bookshelf, picking one up.

"I thought you were done with this. 'Echolocation'? 'Parasitic communication--'"

"Oh, hey." Joe said, rushing over to Ford. "Please don't, if you don't mind. Everything is the way I like it." Joe took the book out of his son's hands and put it back on the shelf, as Ford gave you a look of disbelief. "I'm studying bioacoustics, that's all."

Ford turned back to Joe. "What were you doing, going back there?"

"Oh, all this trespassing stuff. It's bull."

You could feel the tension rising again, but you didn't know what to do.

"Dad, you broke the law."

"I was just trying to get back to our old house."

"Yeah, which is in a quarantine zone!" Ford's voice started to rise.

"Precisely! The new readings are just like they were on that day... And I can prove it to you." Joe walked over to the wall and pulled some papers off. "With a bit of luck, if I can get back to the house I can show you and the rest of the world that this was _not_ a natural disaster. This was--"

"Dad, enough!" Ford almost yelled. The silence was almost deafening for a few seconds before the tea kettle started whistling. Joe walked around the two of you and took the kettle off the stove. He looked solemnly out the window.

"Your mom's still out there, Ford. To me... She'll always be out there." You felt your heart ache a little. Joe sounded so sad. "They evacuated us so quickly. I don't even have a picture of her." The last sentence broke your heart. You walked over to stand next to Ford, who had tears forming in his eyes, and put your hand on his back.

"This has to stop." Ford said, quietly.

"You know I did everything I could." Joe said, turning around to face us, tears in his eyes as well. "You know that, right?"

Ford looked at the floor, dismissing the question. "Let me take you home. Come home with us."

"Luke's been asking about you. He misses you, Joe." You said, hoping that would convince him to leave. Joe smiled as much as he could through tears.

"We can leave tomorrow." Ford added with a half smile.

* * *

 

You and Ford decided it wouldn't be weird if you both slept on the one mattress so that's what you did. At one point you woke up as he draped his arm over you in his sleep, but just smiled and went back to bed. The sound of someone talking woke you both up in the morning. You got up, rubbing the sleep from your eyes, and walked around the shelf to Joe's "office." He was sitting at his computer talking back and forth with someone in Japanese. He didn't hear the two of you come around the corner so when he turned in your direction, he froze. You looked up at Ford, who had a mix of anger and irritation on his face.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

Joe stood up as he put on his jacket. "I'm going back out there, Ford. One hour, in and out."

"No, I don't think so." Ford said, walking towards Joe. You stayed back, gripping the shelf as you basically hid behind it.

"I have to go! I came back here and I wasted six years staring through that barbed wire, thinking it was a... a military mistake or a horrible design flaw they wanted to cover up." Joe let out a sigh. "One day, I met a guy who runs a cargo boat offshore. He goes right past the reactor site every day. I asked him to place a few frequency monitors on buoys for me. Two weeks ago... Because I check this thing about every other day just for kicks. Two weeks ago, I'm tuning in..." Joe walks towards us. "...and, oh, my God... there it is. Whatever 'it' is that's in there. They're guarding something very carefully in there, and it started talking again. And I mean _talking_." Joe laughed as he put more clothes on. "I have to go back to our house to get my old disks, if they're still there. I need the data to prove a baseline here that this isn't a fantasy, that I'm not what you think I am. I'm gonna find the truth, Ford, and end this. Whatever it takes."

You could feel your eyes start watering. as you walk over next to Ford.

"Why can't you just let her rest?" Ford asked, his voice quiet, but hard.

"Because I sent her down there, son." Joe's voice was full of regret, and the sound of it made a few tears fall down your cheek. Ford let out a deep breath and you could tell he was trying not to cry. "This wasn't just a reactor meltdown."

"I don't want to hear this." Ford's voice wavered as he tried to stay calm. You felt so helpless so you just grabbed Ford's arm in hopes it would help just a little bit.

"I know you don't. But you can't keep running away. And, son, you can't bury this in the past."

Ford let a tear fall down his face. "Fine."

* * *

In just a short while, the three of you were on a boat wearing protective suits and gas masks. You traveled along the shore line for about twenty minutes before you reached the dock. Joe had said the house was just a few blocks from there. The city looked like it came straight out of a zombie apocalypse movie. Buildings were crumbling and there was foliage surrounding everything. You walked a couple blocks before a group of dogs came running and barking in your direction.

"What spooked them?" Ford asked once they were gone. "Dad, come on, let's go. It's just two more blocks." You and Ford walked ahead, but turned around when you noticed Joe didn't move with you. "Dad! Are we going home, or what?"

Joe brought his hands to his head and started taking his mask off.

"Joe! What are you doing?" You nearly shouted. But it was too late. His mask was in his hands now.

"Dad?"

"It's clean." Joe said. "I knew it. The radiation in this place should be lethal, but there's nothing."

You and Ford looked at each other, then slowly took your masks off as well. Not that you were complaining. It was a little tight. The three of you continued your walk to the house. Joe and Ford nearly stopped in their tracks once it came into view. It was all, but destroyed. Half the walls were missing and there were plants and bugs all around and inside of it. Once inside, Joe went one way and you followed Ford. He walked into what appeared to be his old room. There were some toys covered in dust on the floor and a filthy tank that once held a pet. You could hear Joe moving stuff around in the other room. Ford walked to a corner and picked up a little toy army man, letting out a deep sigh.

"You okay?" You asked coming up behind him.

"Yeah, I'm... I'm fine." He said. You didn't really believe him, but you didn't push. "Come on, let's--" He started, but was cut off by a strong wind that came through the room.

The three of you walked outside and hid behind some cars. The source of the wind was a helicopter flying overhead. You followed its path until where it was headed came into view. On an island across the water was bright lights and what looked like construction equipment. You looked over at Ford and Joe who both had confused looks on their faces.

"Are they rebuilding the plant?" Ford asked.

"I don't know. I haven't seen--" Joe turned around and stopped talking, a look of defeat coming over his face. The sound of brakes screeching and footsteps made you and Ford sigh heavily and turn around as well. Two guards pointed guns at you while another two forced you all into the back of the van, handcuffing you to a railing inside. The van started and you were off to who knew where. You drove through the city, eventually reaching a bridge that looked to had towards the power plant. By the time you reached the end it was already dark. You drive through the plant, stopping before a gate. Joe turns to look out the front window and you hear him gasp slightly so you and Ford turn to look as well. A giant rock-like structure in a hook shape is sitting in the center of the plant. It pulses a bright orange a few times, slowly then faster. It stopped pulsing and the lights around the plant flicker for a moment.

"What the hell is that?" You say in shock. Ford and Joe clearly didn't have an answer. Suddenly, the door opened and two men had their guns trained on you again. One man pointed to Joe.

"Anata. Watashi to kite."

Joe looked back at you and Ford. "They want me to go with them. I won't be long."

You and Ford nodded as they took the handcuff from the railing and led him away, closing the door behind them. Ford let out a long sigh and buried his head in his hands.

"What have we gotten ourselves into?" He said.

"I wish I knew. But we'll be fine. They'll just ask us questions, then we'll be out of here. Before you know it, we'll be having our wine on the couch."

"God, (Y/n), I hope you're right." He said sitting back up.

You smiled at him. "Aren't I always?"

That got a chuckle out of him. "No, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt." You playfully shoved his arm before turning to look out the front window again.

"So what do you think that thing is?"

"Who knows? Maybe they're trying to recreate _Jurassic Park._ "

"There's an entire trilogy explaining why that's a bad idea, so I hope not."

"Yeah, well, I doubt..." Ford stopped talking when he noticed the structure pulsing again. An alarm started ringing throughout the plant and people were starting to scatter. The driver spoke rapidly into his radio, but you couldn't understand what he was saying, and then he got out of the van.

"Hey, where are you going?" Ford asked.

"What's going on?" You added. But the driver was already gone, leaving you and Ford handcuffed in the back of the van. "Ford, oh, my God, what's happening?"

"I don't know. But we'll be fine, don't worry." He said as he grabbed your hand. You didn't believe that _he_ believed that, but you were thankful that he tried. You both turned your head at the bright lights that were shooting towards the structure. They looked like bolts of lightning. A high-pitched screech was heard and the tip of it fell to the ground below. A few moments later and the lights stopped. You and Ford watched from the van as people stood, staring up at it. Without warning, something burst through the rock, crushing a few men. A giant... _Oh, my God. Is that an arm?_... hit the ground and all the lights went out.

"(Y/n), come here!" Ford shouted. You moved closer to him and he put his arm around your shoulder, as whatever that thing was screeched again. People were running all around. "Hey, let us out! Hey!" Ford kicked the door with his foot, but everyone was too busy trying to get away to notice you. "Oh, my God... Get back!" Ford put his body over yours to shield you. You caught a glimpse of the crane that was falling towards the van before it hit. The van started flipping over, you and Ford tumbling around inside. The force broke your handcuffs off the railing. You hit your head a few times and just knew you'd both have multiple bruises. The van stopping moving and came to a rest. You both turned around just in time to see the crane begin to fall into the hole the structure was in. It wasn't until you both got out of the van that you noticed a man still inside, screaming and banging on the glass. The crane fell in, pulling a few wires with it. The sudden movement caused both of you to turn towards where the wires started and you noticed Joe stand on a bridge about 50 feet away.

"Oh, God, no..." You whispered as you realized where the wires connected. The weight of the crane being pulled caused the bridge to fall taking Joe with it.

"Dad!" Ford began to run towards his father, but you grabbed his arm to stop him. Before you could say anything, a horrible roar came from behind you. You and Ford slowly turned around and came face-to-face with... _Oh, God, what is that?_

It was huge with long legs that came to a curved point at the toes. Its eyes glowed bright orange, a bold contrast to its black body. It rose slowly, screeching as it did. You and Ford were at a loss for words as he slowly pulled you back towards the van. The creature came out of the hole, stepping on people as it walked. You both fell back into the van from the vibration the creature caused when its foot hit the ground. Ford pulled out your gas masks and you put them on. All you could hear was your heavy breathing, everything outside was now muffled. You couldn't believe what you were looking at. As a reflex you grabbed Ford's hand, who squeezed yours tightly. Then your breathing stopped as the creature roared one last time before it took flight.

Ford's question repeated itself over and over in your head.

_What have we gotten ourselves into?_


	3. Gojira

You didn't remember passing out.

"(Y/n)? (Y/n), please wake up." A faint voice caused you to stir and when you opened your eyes it was bright outside. Your eyes adjusted and you saw Ford leaning over you. "Oh, thank God. (Y/n), can you hear me?"

You sat up, which caused a slight headache, and noticed you were still in the back of the upside down van. "Ford? What happened?" You tried to remember what happened last night, and an image popped into your head. _Oh, God, that monster..._

"You fainted. I was starting to get worried that you wouldn't wake up. Are you alright?" He asked as he felt your head for any bumps.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just a headache." A sudden realization dawned on you. "Ford... your dad."

"I know, I know..." Worry overcame Ford's face. "Come on." He grabbed your hand and led you out of the van. Your breath caught in your throat once you saw the aftermath of the attack. There were body bags everywhere, too many to count. The buildings and construction equipment were all either crushed, toppled over, or burned. You also noticed a few Navy men. Who knew how long it would take to find Joe in all this commotion? Ford tugged on your hand, pulling you out of your trance. "Come on. Let's try this way." You started walking in the direction of where the bridge Joe was on collapsed. You walked past so many body bags, praying you wouldn't see Joe's head poking out of one. Luckily, you never did, but there were still so many places to look. A few paramedics were wheeling someone towards an ambulance.

"Ford!" You said pointing to the stretcher. Sure enough, Joe was on it.

"Dad!" Ford said and broke out in a run towards him, with you not far behind. In a few seconds, you were caught up to the paramedics. "Dad! I'm here, we're here!" You walked with the stretcher to the ambulance. "Don't worry, they'll take care of you. We'll be right next to you, okay?"

Joe's face twisted in pain and you felt tears forming in your eyes as you all got into the back of the ambulance. One paramedic began closing the doors, but a hand stopped one door from moving. Two men and a woman stood in front of you. One man was in a Navy uniform. He was the first to speak.

"Joe Brody?" He asked. Ford looked down at the stretcher and nodded.

"I'm his son, Ford. This is (Y/n) (L/n). Can we help you?" Ford answered.

"I'm Captain Russell Hampton. I understand your father had knowledge of occurrences here." It wasn't a question, it was a statement. Ford simply nodded. "Then we need you all to come with us." Ford shook his head this time.

"No way. My dad needs a doctor, not an interrogation."

"Understood. He'll be looked after in our helicopter, but it is of great importance that the three of you come with me." He was not going to give up easily.

"Ford, I think we should listen to him." You said quietly. He looked down at his father, whose breath was getting more and more shallow.

"Okay." Ford said so quietly you barely heard him. You turned back to the captain.

"We'll go with you." You all were transferred to the helicopter. A Navy paramedic was putting an oxygen mask on Joe as you took off. The helicopter flew over the city and out to the ocean.

"We need to get his vitals." A paramedic said which caused Joe to groan.

"Shh. Shh, Dad. Dad." Ford said, trying to keep Joe from moving too much.

"Radial pulse is weak. I'm counting... 125."

"It's okay." Ford noticed Joe trying to speak so he moved the mask out of the way. Joe muttered something incoherently. "You were right, Dad. I'm sorry."

Joe struggled to speak. "Go home, you two. Go home to your family." He added, looking at you before moving his eyes back to Ford. "You take care of her, keep her safe. Both of them. Okay?"

"Yeah, okay." Ford said, squeezing your hand.

"Whatever it takes. She's good for you." Joe said. You let out a half laugh, half sob. "Whatever it--" Joe stopped talking and his eyes started to close.

"Hey, stay with me. Dad? Dad?" Ford said, his voice weak.

"Radial pulse is weak. I can barely feel it." One paramedic said. "We're losing him." You felt your heart sting and tears threatened to fall out of your eyes. You and Ford leaned back in your seats to give the paramedics room.

"Joe, can you hear me?" Said another.

"He's going into A-fib. Give me another epi, one milligram, and 40 units of vasopressin. Stay with us. Come on, Joe, hang in there."

Ford let out a deep breath and began rubbing his hands along his neck, while you put on a hand on his back, trying not to cry, a bit unsuccessfully. The flight seemed to move way too slow after that. Eventually you landed on a ship that you were told was the USS Saratoga. Once you touched down, they wheeled Joe out, and you and Ford followed. The man and woman that you saw earlier followed the Captain elsewhere.

The med bay wasn't large. Enough room for a an injured person or two and a few medics. You and Ford stripped out of your protective suits as a medic took care of Joe. Ford walked away as you put your hair up out of your face. In the mirror, you could see Ford behind you staring down at the table. You walked over just as the medic was zipping up Joe's body bag. It was official: he was gone. You grabbed Ford's hand, your eyes beginning to fill with tears again. Ford had a blank, but sad expression on his face. It was clear he didn't quite believe this happened. You stood in silence for a few moments before a quiet knock made you regain your senses.

"Lieutenants?" You turned around and saw an officer at the door. When neither of you spoke, the officer added, "If you'd please follow me." He led you down a few halls, finally stopping at a door. He opened it and stepped out of the way so you and Ford could enter. "Dr. Serizawa."

A Japanese man turned at the sound of his name. He was a bit older and wore glasses. He was studying some file when you entered. The woman from earlier was seated at the table along with some other officers. She was older than you, but younger than the doctor, and appeared to be American. The doctor and the woman made their way to the both of you.

"My condolences." He said as he closed the file.

"We're deeply sorry for your loss, lieutenant." The woman added. "But I'm afraid we need your help."

"My name is Dr. Ishiro Serizawa. This is my associate, Vivienne Graham." He motioned towards the woman. "We were studying the MUTO, and your father had some very important information regarding it. If there's any way you could help, we'd very much appreciate it."

"Of course." You said, as Ford simply nodded.

"Thank you. Please, have a seat." The doctor said as walked back to the table. You and Ford both took your seats, while Serizawa set up a projector. Once it was good, Vivienne turned off the lights, and he turned the projector on. The footage that came up on the wall was clearly old. It was a brown tint with film scratch over it. It started out with a ship moving across the water with the man on the film saying it was the USS Nautilus.

"In 1954, the first time a nuclear submarine ever reached the lower depths, it awakened something." The doctor explained.

"The Americans first thought the Russians were to blame. The Russians, on the other hand, thought it was the Americans. All those nuclear bomb test in the '50s...?" Graham added. The footage now showed multiple explosions. "Not tests."

"They were trying to kill it. Him." The doctor pointed to the screen as something large and scaly came out of the water. Ford leaned forward in his seat, while you kept crossing and uncrossing your legs. "An ancient alpha predator."

"Millions of years older than mankind." Vivienne said. "From an age when the Earth was 10 times more radioactive than it is today. This... animal... and others like it, consumed this radiation as a food source. But as the levels on the surface subsided naturally, these creatures adapted to deep ocean living, further underground. Absorbing radiation from the planet's core. Monarch, the organization we work for, was established in the wake of this discovery. A multinational coalition, formed in secrecy, to search for him. Study him. Learn everything we possibly could."

The footage showed a bird's eye view of the creature as it swam. It was much larger than the ships following it. You couldn't believe what you were seeing and hearing, and judging by Ford's face, neither could he.

"We call him..." The doctor turned to face you. "Gojira."

"The top of a primordial ecosystem. A god, for all intents and purposes." Vivienne said.

"A monster." Ford said quietly as he turned back to the film. You felt your breath catch in your throat at the word.

"Fifteen years ago, we found a fossil of another giant animal in the Philippines. It was like Gojira. But this creature died long ago. Killed by these." The doctor pointed to the screen, which now showed footage of him and Vivienne.

"Parasitic spores. One dormant, but the other hatched. It was catalyzed when a mining company unknowingly drilled into its tomb. The hatchling burrowed straight for the nearest radiation source, your father's power plant in Janjira, and cocooned there for 15 years, absorbing the radioactive fuel to gestate and grow." She said.

"Until it hatched, like a butterfly into the creature you saw today." Serizawa said as he sat down.

"That's not like any butterfly I've ever seen." You commented.

Ford sat up straight in his chair. "Wait, so you knew about this thing? The whole time? Why didn't you just kill it when you had the chance?"

Vivienne spoke up. "It was absorbing radiation from the reactors. We were worried that killing it could release that radiation and put millions in danger."

"That's why our mission was to contain it. To study its biology, to understand it." The doctor said as you and Ford leaned on the table.

"We knew the creature was having an electrical effect on everything in a close proximity. What we didn't know was that it could harness this same power in an EMP attack. But your father did." You and Ford both looked up at her at the last sentence. "He predicted it."

"What else did he say?" Serizawa asked.

"Please try to remember, Mr. Brody. Anything that could help us, anything at all." Vivienne almost sounded like she was begging.

Ford just closed his eyes and shook his head. "I didn't listen. I just thought he was crazy. He was obsessed with all this..." He let out a deep sigh. "Said something about an animal call. Something talking."

"Talking?" The doctor asked.

"He said he was studying something." You said.

"Echolocation." Ford finished for you.

"If the MUTO was talking that day, your father must have discovered something talking back. Check again." He told Vivienne, who got up and headed for files on a desk nearby. "Search for a response call."

"This parasite. It's still out there. Where's it headed?" You inquired.

"The MUTO is young, growing. It will be looking for food."

"Sources of radiation." Vivienne said. We're monitoring all known sites... But if we don't find it soon--"

"Then what?" You asked.

"Nature has a an order. A power to restore balance." He turned back to the picture of Godzilla on the screen. "I believe he is that power."

* * *

An officer was escorting you and Ford to a helicopter to take you home.

"Lieutenants, right now we're 50 miles from Hawaii." He shouted over the helicopter. "This transport will take you there." You and Ford handed your helmets to the officer as you climbed in. "You're catching a commercial flight back to San Francisco." Ford nodded and the man closed the door. The helicopter took off and you could see Dr. Serizawa and Vivienne standing on the deck below, watching you two leave. Once you were airborne, you asked if there was a phone you could use and dialed Natalie's number.

"Hey, it's Nat! I'm sorry I missed your call. Leave me a message and I'll get back to you!" Her voicemail said. The beep sounded and you started talking.

"Hey, sis. Um, I don't know what they're saying on the news or anything. There was... an accident in Japan and... Joe's gone. I'll explain more when we get back. We're headed to Hawaii right now and we're catching a flight from there. Tell Luke I love him, alright? I'll see you guys soon." You hung up the phone and handed it back to the man who gave it to you. The view of the ocean and the setting sun would normally be breathtaking to you, but under these circumstances, you didn't care much for it. Your mind began to wander to the event at the plant, the MUTO and the footage of Godzilla, and you began to worry about where they were headed.

_God, please let me see them soon._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the lack of action in this chapter. I felt an information-filled chapter would be helpful.


	4. Not Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for the late chapter! I've had a busy week.
> 
> Enjoy! :)

The helicopter ride took about eight hours to reach Honolulu. You hadn't completely recovered from the jet lag from the first flight so this one just made it worse. The helicopter touched down at the Honolulu Airport. The pilot informed you that you would have to take the monorail to the actual terminal. You thanked him as you got out and he took flight once again, leaving you and Ford on the ground. With aching legs, the two of you made your way into the station. It was surprisingly busy for it being so late. Or early? The changed in times zones messed you up. All you knew was that it was dark out. Most of the people looked like tourists coming from a luau. You and Ford boarded the train and found two seats. As soon as Ford sat down, he put his head in his hands and sighed deeply. You looked over and put your hand on his knee.

"Hey, you okay?" You asked.

"Yeah, I'm alright. Just a lot to handle." He said sitting up and leaning his head against the window.

"I know. But we don't have to worry about it anymore. We'll be on a plane and back home soon. We'll pick up Luke, you'll come over to my place, and we'll get to have our wine." You said with a smile.

"Oh, that sounds wonderful right now."  Ford returned your smile.

"Aloha, and welcome aboard. The train will be moving shortly." A man's voice rang out over the PA. Both you and Ford let out a sigh of relief at the announcement. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the toy army man he grabbed from his house, and fiddled with it a little. You noticed a small boy, about six or seven, eyeing the toy in Ford's hand so you gave Ford a little nudge. Ford looked up at the boy, who was hiding behind the train door, and gave him a gentle smile. It made you happy to see how sweet he was to kids. A bell rang to indicate that the doors were now closing.

"Akio!" A man shouted.

"Mama!" You and Ford looked back at the boy. He had accidently gotten shut into the train, and his parents were still outside. The little boy, Akio, tried to open the doors, to no success, so Ford ran over and tried to open them as well. But the doors were closed too tight and wouldn't budge. You ran over as well and took the boy by the shoulders as the train began to move.

"Look, don't worry. Just wait there. I'm gonna bring him back, okay?" Ford said. He attempted to repeat it in Japanese, but couldn't figure out the words so you stepped in.

"Wareware wa kare o motarasu tsumoridesu." You spoke to the parents. It wasn't clear if they could hear you, but it was too late anyway. The train had pulled out of the station. The kid started to run towards the back of the train car to his parents, but Ford caught up to him and picked him up.

"Hey, whoa, kid." Ford carried him back over to your seats and set him down. You took your seat next to him as Ford kneeled in front of him. "Okay. I'm gonna set you down here. We'll get you back to your parents, okay?" Akio nodded. Ford reached back into his pocket and pulled out the toy again. "Here Is this what you want?" Akio took the toy hesitantly. "Take good care of him for me. We better not miss our flight, kid." He added, only half serious.

_**Meanwhile...** _

"Admiral, received an intel report." Captain Hampton said. "We lost track of a nuclear Akula 50 nautical miles northwest of Hawaii. Could be the MUTO."

Dr. Serizawa and Vivienne both turned their attention to Admiral William Stenz.

"Just got word of a missing Russian sub in the North Pacific. Martinez?" Stenz turned towards the woman in front of the computer.

"Aye, sir. Special Forces Team Sparta 1 is picking up a distress signal northwest of Diamond Head on the island of Oahu. They're on the ground, headed to the beacon." She answered. Footage of the team covered the screens.

 

The men walked carefully through the jungles.

"Anyone wanna tell me why we're looking for an Akula in the jungle?" One man asked.

"Probably a glitch. Russians said they got a ping from this location." Another replied.

A third man spoke up. "Hey, I've got a reading. It's right up ahead." A few helicopters flew around above the trees.

"Sparta 1, this is Hawkeye." One of the pilots said. "We're getting the same ping off the transponder. Range 30 meters. Looks like you're getting warm."

The tracker began beeping as the men approached the beacon.

"What the hell?" One man walked up to it and wiped some gooey liquid off of it, revealing the radiation sign. "Jesus." The men looked up at the liquid falling from above. "Oh, my God." Sitting against a hill was a large submarine. Some of it was torn off and it was mostly covered in the liquid. "Guardian 3, we've located your Russian sub. You're not gonna believe what else we found."

The helicopters put their spotlights on the MUTO who was standing next to the sub, eating it bit by bit.

 

"It appears to be rising approximately 20 to 30 meters above the tree line." A man said over the radio. The Admiral turned to face Dr. Serizawa.

"No more secrets, doctor. Safety is now out highest priority. There's almost a million people on that island." He turned to the Captain. "Get me eyes in the air."

"We're picking up something else. Approaching from the Pacific." Someone announced. Serizawa perked up at this and headed for the exit, with Vivienne trailing after him.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"Up to the flight deck. I think he's coming."

"What are you doing?"

"I have to see this." And with that, Vivienne stopped following him. Two jets were leaving the ship as he walked out to the deck.

_**Present...** _

The train finally began approaching the airport. Something loud came by the train so everyone turned to look. A few jets were flying towards the mountains.

"Whoa!" Akio said. You and Ford just exchanged confused and concerned looks.

"Ford..." You said hesitantly.

"No, it's not our problem anymore. They'll deal with it and we're gonna get back to San Francisco." He replied. You nodded, but you still had some worry in you. Suddenly, without warning, the train lights turned off and it jerked to a stop, sending everyone falling in the same direction.

"You both all right?" Ford asked as the three of you sat back up. You and Akio nodded, and Ford put his arm around the boys shoulders. "You give it ten seconds, the lights are gonna come back on."

Akio grabbed one of Ford's hands and one of yours, as you and Ford gave each other another confused look. The train sat in silence for a couple minutes before the lights turned back on. The relief in the car was clear.

"There you go. What did I tell you?" Ford said. The lights along the track began to light up again and then you saw something you really didn't want to see.

"Ford, oh, my God!" You said. People stood up and started shouting as the MUTO roared. The train began moving again, straight for the creature. Akio clung to Ford's jacket. The jets came flying back and started shooting at the MUTO.

"Get down!" Ford shouted. He grabbed you and Akio, covering you with his body. When you stood back up, the MUTO was right in front of the train. "Let's go!" Ford picked up Akio, as you both tried to move to the back of the car. The MUTO hit the car, cutting it in half and taking a few people with it. You held on tight to the seats with Akio holding onto your leg. The force caused Ford to slip from where he was and fall to the seats below.

"Ford!" You shouted. Luckily he had managed to grab the seat and stop himself. Others weren't so lucky though. People began falling from the train car to the ground below. There was so much screaming. Your horror increased when you noticed Akio's grip slipping from your leg. You tried to reach down to grab him, but he was just out of your reach. "Ford, he's slipping! Ford!" You shouted as Akio's grip failed and he began sliding down the car floor. Luckily Ford was able to catch him. You gradually lowered yourself down so you were standing, but still partially laying on the floor, on the side of the seat, above Ford. He handed you Akio and you put him where he wouldn't fall. "Come on, Ford." You gave Ford your hand and pulled him up too so you were both on the side of the seat. Akio had a tight grip around your waist. The sound of more gunfire made you turn your heads towards the MUTO. The jets were back and firing at it. One jet flew straight towards it, but couldn't move out of the way it time before the MUTO hit it. There was a small explosion and the jet fell straight towards the ground, and hit one of the planes. "Oh, my God..."

The first explosion caused a chain reaction. Plane after plane blew up. That had your attention until something else showed up. The sight of it caused the MUTO to screech loudly. It was huge, scaly, and walked on two legs. It almost looked like a dinosaur. Suddenly, Ford's quip about _Jurassic Park_ didn't seem so far off. You stared wide-eyed at this new creature until something in your brain clicked.

"Godzilla..." You said to yourself.

"What?" Ford asked you, but before you could answer, Godzilla let out a loud roar. The two creatures advanced on each other and began fighting. You closed your eyes tight and held onto Ford, praying that you'd make it to morning.

* * *

 The airport was devastated, along with multiple other buildings. There was debris of all sizes littered as far as the eye could see. It left little room for the tents, ambulances, medical staff, and survivors from the attack. You followed Ford, who was carrying Akio, through the masses of people until you reached a tent.

"Excuse me? Hi. Excuse me, I'm sorry, but this boy's been separated from his parents." Ford said.

"Just fill out this form. We'll be with you in just a minute." The medical examiner replied. Ford put Akio down to grab the form, and started filling it out. You noticed the man next to you holding his phone.

"Hey, do you have service on that cell phone?" You asked.

"No, sorry. The pay phones don't even work." He answered as he filled out his own form. You let out a heavy sigh and turned back to Akio, who was no longer there.

"Ford!" You said urgently. He looked down as well, a look of worry coming over his face. He set down the form and you both walked away from the tent, scanning the crowd for the boy.

"Akio!" A man and woman's voice overlapped and you turned to the source of the noise. Akio was running towards his parents, who quickly picked him up, hugging him.

"Oh, thank God..." You said quietly, as Ford let out a sigh of relief. You smiled at the boy as his parents led him away.

"Corporal, load up, load up!" A man shouted. Your attention turned to the group of army men headed past you for the truck in front of you.

"Sergeant!" Ford said. A man with the name Morales on his uniform stepped out of the line and stood in front of you and Ford.

"Can I help you?" Morales asked.

"Lieutenants Brody and (L/n). U.S. Navy." Ford motioned to you. "We need your help. We're trying to get to the mainland."

"Well, it's your lucky day. Everything not tied down is moving east."

"Whoa, is that where they're headed?" You chimed in.

"Yeah. I guess we're monster hunters now." Morales answered with a shrug as he walked back to the truck. You and Ford didn't have much of a choice so you followed Morales to the truck. You drove for a bit until you reached a few planes. You and Ford got on the same plane as Morales. You were quiet for the most part, your thoughts taking up your attention. _East? They're headed straight for California. Oh, God... Luke... Natalie..._ The worry on your face must have been obvious because Ford took your hand.

"You doing all right?" He asked, but you could tell he already knew the answer.

"Yeah, I'm okay." You gave a deep sigh at the look he gave you. "Okay, no, I'm not all right. They're headed right for the city. And Luke is..." You trailed off, putting your head down and trying not to cry.

Ford leaned in closer to you. "Hey, it'll be okay. I promise you that you'll see Luke again. We're gonna be okay and he's gonna be okay. Besides, you still owe me a glass of wine. I'm not letting you off that easy." He added with a small smile.

You couldn't help but chuckle at that. "You got it. And thank you."

"Of course." He said as brought your hand to his lips and gave it a small kiss. Before you could react, a man came down the stairs.

"Heads up! We've got new destination, new orders. Let's get geared up." He shouted so everyone heard. Everybody stood up and started getting ready.

"Hey, tech sergeant!" Ford called after the man. "What's the word?"

"Another one of those things popped up in Nevada, sir." He answered then continued walking. You gave a small gasp and Ford put his arm around your shoulder. Now there were three monsters, and they were all headed for the same place, straight to your family.


	5. Coming Home

* * *

The plane touched down and you got on one of a few trucks headed for Lone Pine. The ride didn't take too long, and you ended up in a nice part of town that was filled with stores. The truck stopped in an intersection.

"Okay, everybody out." Two men opened the back of the truck and you, Ford, and the men hopped out. "Can't fly any further. We're well in range of its EMP. So from here on out, it's on the ground or it's not at all. Let's go!" There were so many soldiers walking around. You were pretty sure the entire Army was working on this.

You and Ford stood in the middle of the road, staring at the approaching train. It had a giant bomb on it, one of the biggest you've seen. You stared at it in awe and concern. The train's brakes hissed and it slowly came to a stop in front of you.

"All right, listen up! This train and these weapons are headed to San Francisco. Anyone not part of this mission, disembark now!" One of the soldiers on the train shouted over the noise. You had to get on that train somehow, and Ford knew that.

"Hey, come on." Ford said. He turned around and headed for the store behind you, and you followed. Standing in front of the store was a Master Sergeant, whom Ford approached.

"Master Sergeant? I'm Lieutenant Brody, and this is Lieutenant (L/n), U.S. Navy. We wanted to talk to you about getting on that train."

The man handed a file back to the person next to him and began walking into the store, with you and Ford following. "Negative. Can't do it, sir. This is a high-risk mission. That train is a national asset, not Amtrak." He approached two soldiers putting the bomb's timer in its casing. "We good to go?"

"Just about." One of the soldiers answered.

"From the look of the casings on those Minutemen ICBMs, I'm guessing the digital module's been bypassed and you're prepping for full analog retrofit." Ford said. He definitely knew his stuff, but the Master Sergeant looked unimpressed.

"Is my jaw supposed to drop?" He walked in between the two of you and picked up a clipboard from a nearby table. "I get it. You're EOD. But I already got my crew, and they know what they're doing."

Morales walked around the table and spoke up. "Aim the pointy end at the monsters, right, sarge?" _Well, more or less._  Master Sergeant handed Morales the clipboard, who left the store. You walked closer to the man, a wave of confidence coming over you.

"When was the last time you let one of your guys put their fingers in a live bomb?" You asked. He looked down without answering. "This is our job. This is what we do." The words came out of your mouth, but you don't recall this being in the job description. He just looked hard at you and turned around, walking away. "Master sergeant!" He turned back around, but you can tell he did it hesitantly. You took a deep breath before speaking. "My family's in the city, okay? My son is in the city. I  _need_ to be on that train."

Within a half hour, you and Ford were given EOD uniforms and were getting ready to get on the train. But there was something you needed to do first. You dialed Natalie's cell number on the payphone, praying she'd pick up. Luckily, it only took three rings.

"Hello?" It was so nice to hear her voice.

"Natalie, oh, thank God." You let out a huge sigh of relief.

"(Y/n), oh, my God. Oh, my God, you're alive." Her voice cracked a little and you knew she was holding back tears.

"Are you okay? How's Luke?"

"We're both okay. I've got Luke with me. Brian's been working at the hospital all day so we came up here. We're fine."

"Oh, that's great. Because I was thinking, I wanna get you guys and..." You started, but Natalie cut you off.

"I can't believe this is happening." The crack in her voice made your eyes start to water. "(Y/n), are you okay? Are you doing alright?"

"Natalie, I'm okay. Please don't worry." You reassured her.

"I'm just so scared right now. I'm trying not to let Luke see too much about what's going on, but I don't know how much he knows and..." She trailed off.

"I know. I'm scared too, but we're gonna get through this. Ford and I are gonna be at the hospital by sunrise. Then we're gonna get you, Luke, and Brian out." You heard her breathe out a confirmation and continued. "The military has a plan to deal with these things. I'm coming to get you guys, alright?"

"Okay, okay. Just please hurry. Please." Natalie was basically begging.

"I will, I promise. I love you, Nat. Tell Luke I love him too." Your voice wavered slightly as you held back tears.

"I will. And I love you too. Just be safe, you two."

You took a deep breath. "I'll see you soon." You hung up the phone because you knew if you stayed on it any longer, you'd never get off.

"(Y/n)?" Ford's voice appeared behind you. You turned to look at him and he walked closer to you, putting a hand to your face and wiping a stray tear. "We're just a train ride away. Everything's gonna be okay." You closed your eyes and nodded, wanting to believe him. He pulled you into a hug. "I promise I'm gonna get you back to Luke." His voice never sounded more sincere.

"I know you will." Somehow, you managed a small smile. You felt Ford press his lips to the top of your head, and you finally felt safe for the first time in the past few days. The train horn sounded and you knew you had to get to it.  You and Ford left the store and got on the train just as it was leaving.

"Good to go! Let's move out!" Someone shouted.

* * *

The train ride would take awhile. It was quiet, except for the occasional horn, and there wasn't much conversation. Everyone knew what the stakes were here. You were leaning against the railing, taking in what sights you could see in the dark, while Ford looked at the nuke.

"Sergeant Morales, give me a hand." Ford requested.

"I thought these nukes all detonated by remote control." Tre asked as he helped Ford put the timer into the actual nuke.

"The MUTOs knock out everything electric. Including detonators." You said, walking over to them. "Can't even get in range without these things going haywire."

As he and Morales lifted the timer into place, Ford continued your train of thought. "But this? This, on the other hand, is old-school. Clockwork."

"Takes a licking, keeps on ticking." Tre said with a smile. You and Ford both laughed, but were cut short by a noise from further ahead. You turned around and noticed an explosion in the distance. The train's brakes screeched and the sudden change made everyone fling forward. You held onto the railing so you wouldn't fall. Gunfire and more explosions continued up ahead. "Holy shit."

"Sergeant Morales, get down here with that radio. On the double. Move, move!" A man at the front of the train shouted. The three of you hopped down from the train and walked to the front.

"Snake Eyes, this is Bravo to November. Is the bridge clear? Over." The man who called Morales over spoke into the radio. The only thing that came back was gunfire and yelling. "I say again. We got a train of VIP cargo headed for the coast. Is the bridge clear? Over." Just static this time. "Snake Eyes, I need a sitrep. Are the tracks clear? We are at phase line yellow. In the next 10 mikes, we're advancing to phase line red. Secure or not? Over." More screaming was heard. The sound of the MUTO caused everyone to look up and you noticed that Ford was standing in front of the tunnel. He took you, Morales and a few other men into the tunnel to scout ahead. You all had your flashlights on, but it still wasn't a ton of light. After a couple minutes you were standing on the bridge.

"You think it's intact?" Ford asked.

"Only one way to find out." One of the soldiers answered. "You wanna take the top?"

"Sure. You check below. Sergeant Morales and (Y/n), you're with me." Ford replied. You both nodded and followed Ford further onto the bridge while the other two men went to check from below. The bridge was about 200 feet above a river. _That's a hell of a fall._ Just as you had that thought, Morales tripped and fell onto the tracks, dropping his flashlight.

"Shit!" He exclaimed in a hushed tone. You turned around and stuck out your hand.

"You all right?"

"Yeah, I'm good." Tre answered as he took your hand and stood up. Once he was back on his feet, you all walked a bit more until you could see the end of the bridge.

"The bridge is intact." Ford said.

Morales took out his radio and spoke into it. "Bulldog, this is Eagle. All clear to move out. Over."

"Roger that, Eagle."

The three of you began walking back to meet up with the train when something big suddenly began moving in front of you.

"Hit the deck!" Ford whispered urgently. You all laid down on the tracks, keeping very still, as the MUTO walked along next to the bridge, its eyes glowing bright. You've never been more terrified of the color orange in your life as it ducked down underneath the bridge and came out on the other side. As if you weren't nervous enough, Morales' radio began making static noise. He tried to turn it off, but the MUTO was already right next to you, its mouth wide open. You closed your eyes tight, knowing what was coming.

Suddenly, the train's horn broke through the silence. The MUTO turned its attention to that. Shrieking, it stepped over the bridge, two legs on either side. It walked towards the tunnel entrance and you noticed something as it walked over you. There was a sack hanging from its stomach area. It glowed orange and it was filled with something. _Are those... Eggs?..._ _Oh, God..._ The three of you stood up, staring at the creature as it disappeared into the fog. All of a sudden, there was gunfire and screeching. You trained your gun in the direction of the MUTO, but slowly lowered it when you realized what was heading for you. The train was now on fire and hurtling towards you at an alarming rate.

"Run!" Ford shouted. You all turned around and ran in the opposite direction. "Come on!"

"Ford! Ahh!" Morales screamed as the MUTO hit the bridge where he was running. There was no way he survived that.

"(Y/n)!" Ford grabbed your arm and pulled you with him as he jumped off the bridge. The two of you fell 200 feet into the water below, the flaming train right behind you. You hit the water with such force that you became incredibly disoriented. It only got worse as bits of the train and bridge fell in after you. You and Ford tried your best to stay afloat, but it was difficult. As you alternated between breaking the surface and falling back under, you saw the MUTO swallow one of the nukes.

And then it went black.


End file.
